Well, I’m a dad with 3 nutty kids—2 boys and a girl and an incredibly beautiful wife and devoted mom. I play ice hockey 3 times a week and have the scars in my face to prove it.

I am an Arizona State grad from a time long, long ago. After living and working at shops in NYC, Arizona, Dallas and Tampa I finally decided to open my own shop—EraserFarm. A name actually inspired by my daughter and her friends who created a fictitious place called Eraser Country. It had a long list of rules required to live there. My favorite is no hunting is allowed (You can see the actual book on our Facebook page). But we loved the idea of an eraser as a symbol of all the hard work we put in to find that best idea. Country was a little odd and since we are always refining (or cultivating) the ideas to be the best they can, we landed on Farm. So thanks Sophia!

Q. What do you do for inspiration?

I love movies and music. I am very inspired by other’s work as well so I keep up on the latest stuff happening and being created in not only advertising but art and technology. Coffee really helps my brain get cooking too.

Q. What is your all time most memorable moment at EraserFarm?

Wow, that’s tough. We’re very early in the life of the agency obviously. I could easily say winning our first account but really it was coming up with this pretty neat idea and cold calling a client in Dallas, Texas. They agreed to see it and we flew down to present. Mind you, this is when we had no money coming in. Well it went unbelievably well and guess what? Nothing happened. Until about a month ago. And we just signed them on as a client, plus 2 other brands they have.

Q. What’s your favorite project you’ve ever been involved with?

I’ve had lots. I am a big animal lover and as such I would say working with the folks at S.A.F.E. in NY has been my favorite so far. African elephants are being killed for their ivory at such a rapid rate, they will be gone in as little as 11 years. I’m happy we could help in some way. And working on the Tampa Bay Lightning to create the Be The Thunder campaign while I was at 22squared was a runner-up.

Q. What does the next 10 years of advertising look like to you?

I think it will continue to become less like advertising and keep getting more personal and real. Technology and the way consumers interact with brands is continually changing and reshaping. More than ever, they have an active role in the stories brands create. They are always looking for more information and conversely provide us with mounds of it to help craft that content.

Q. What’s your favorite thing about working in the Tampa Bay area? What do you think Tampa Bay has to offer that other cities don’t?

I am optimistic about the ad community coming together and drawing in great talent. The growth of the city is certainly very exciting with the tremendous plans underway over by the Waterfront. But it still maintains a unique identity and is just the right size so I’m not bashing my head against the dash dealing with traffic like I used to deal with in Dallas. OK maybe I still do that.

Q. If you weren’t working in advertising, what would you be doing?

Playing ice hockey. Probably toiling away in the AHL. That would be awesome.

Q. What advice do you have for students/people just starting out in advertising?

Well first and foremost be sure you love it. If you don’t, I think you’ll just keep doing what everyone else is doing. And there’s a lot of that out there. But if you truly love it, you will churn out new, unforgettable, interesting, thought-provoking content and ideas. Always have something on your plate to work on you love. If it’s not something the agency is providing, find it yourself. Keep challenging yourself and never think you are great. Because none of us are. When you think you are, you are done. And you’re also an ass for thinking as much.

I worked on a cologne for teenage girls called Luv’s Baby Soft Cologne. And then in the afternoon I was working on liquor ads that ran in Penthouse. True story.

Q. What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

My wife and kids. Ok so that’s 4 but too bad.

Q. Before you go, is there one last piece of wisdom you can drop on us?

Be fearless. And never shy away from the idea that someone may not like what you have to say or the way you think. There is a monumental amount of freedom that comes to you when you don’t take things personally.

– See more at: https://aaftampabay.org/Buzz/Q-A-with-James-Rosene-Creative-Director-and-Partner-of-EraserFarm-14552#sthash.Q0JkAzHV.dpuf